Wimple - the wrap up
by TMI Fairy
Summary: The wrap up of my Wimple AU. There will be several short chapters, laying out the fates of some Major and Minor characters plus the adorable family of ex-Mrs. Hurin Aredhel and her crazy bunch of kids. Part III of the Series. NOTE: This includes two previously stand alone stories - "16 years later" and "16 years later outsider view" for ease of reading
1. The Fate of the Peredhel

The Fate of the Peredhel

After the War of the Ring Aragorn, now known as Elessar, returned north to the lands of Eriador to resurrect the Kingdom of Arnor. Besides coming into his birthright the restoration of this realm was half of the task allotted to him by Lord Elrond the Half-Elven to prove himself worthy of his daughter's, Arwen Udomiel's hand. The other half of the task being claiming the Kingdom of Gondor for himself.

Whereas the other Ringbearers had taken the Straight Road the Lord Elrond stayed on, watchful over his daughter. He did send his Ring of Power to Valinor with his mother in law, however. The Wise Lord found it easier to part with Vilya than with his children – daughter in particular.

With the lands of Arnor of old laying desolate from the plagues unleashed upon them by the Enemy the King sought settlers and soldiers from other lands. For the latter he looked to Rohan in particular, knowing that the Sons of Eorl were fell of arm and loyal of heart. At times he journeyed alongside his recruiters as he was eager to see his shieldbrother Eomer, King of the Mark. And so it came to pass that in year 3027 TA that King Elessar accompanied by his foster brothers – the grim half elves Elladan and Elrohir – travelled south to the Mark. The Twins had heard rumours of remnants of Saruman's Fighting Uruk-hai hiding in the White Mountains and wished to have sport with them. After sojourns at Hornburg and Edoras Aragorn's party came to Aldburg.

Since the War of the Ring the old capital of the Mark had been the seat of Eowyn Wraithbane, the King's sister. She was effectively the ruler of the Eastfold and Eastemnet as Underking for her brother the King. Besides ruling fairly if severely on occasion she also rode with the eoreds to protect the lands entrusted into her hands. Which distressed her brother and the Eastfold Marshal Elfhelm alike greatly. At two and thirty she was no spring flower yet still unwed with the Eorlings despairing of her ever taking a husband. Suitors she had many but gave none her favour. There was wonder of the King not wedding her in an alliance with some Great Lord – as she was greatly loved by high and low alike nobody of lesser standing was thought to be worthy of her – but Eomer had sworn to his sister that her hand was her own to give.

The two half-elven princes indeed found their desired sport in the Ered Nimrais. With tragic results – one of their forays ended with an ambush in which Elladan died and Elrohir had several limbs broken. A punitive expedition four days later found the Uruk camp and gave no quarter to its inhabitants. Initially some mannish women – thought to be the orcs' captives – were spared but their assault upon the Riders for killing half-breed children led to them being included in the slaughter.

Elrohir was shattered by the loss of his brother. While being nursed back to health at Aldburg he began to ponder his own mortality, to think of matters other than his half a thousand year's old campaign of revenge. His recovery was his longest ever exposure to the strengths and weaknesses of the Secondborn. He watched and grew to admire the strong yet not uncaring, the gentle yet not docile nature of the Princess. And from this admiration sprouted love. On a summer night, under the stars, the Orcslayer gave his heart and immortality to the Wraithbane.

By this point Eowyn had mostly whittled away at the shackles of ice biding her heart which she had put upon her spirit as manner of protection during the Dark Days of Grima's Ascendency at Meduseld. Elrohir's gesture shattered whatever manacles she still wore and the White Lady of Rohan (wearing green that night) accepted his courtship. They wed at the Spring Equinox in 3028, choosing the date of the Elven New Year to honour that side of the groom's heritage.

Hearing of one son's death and of the other's choice of the Gift of Man destroyed Elrond's spirit. The heartbroken Elven Lord could not bring himself to say farewell to his daughter but wrote a note and rode to the Grey Heavens, boarding the first available ship to Valinor. In the Undying Lands he became known as Elrond the Childless. With two children choosing the Gift of Man and Elladan - dying before his Choice – having his _fea_ in limbo, the Peredhel Lord was never to see any of his children again.

Some saw this as Valar's punishment for his prideful denial of his daughter's happiness as many notable personages – both of Man and of Elvenkind – had called upon him to consent to Arwen's and Aragorn's marriage. They spoke, Figwit prominent amongst them, of how Aragorn's acts in destroying the One Ring equaled those which had made Beren worthy of Luthien, of how he had in fact restored the Southern Kingdom, solely with enthronement delayed. Yet Elrond had haughtily dismissed such talk, claiming that the terms for marriage had not been completed. Those of mind of this being Valar's Judgment pointed to his greedy holding on to one child leading to his loss of all three.

Another joyful event in the same year of 3028 TA was the union, on Mid-Summer Day, of Arwen and Aragorn at newly rebuilt Fornost. With the passing of Denethor son of Ecthelion in 3040 TA the couple became the King and Queen of the United Kingdoms.

Eventually the children of Elrond were to come together in death. The first to be buried was Elladan, on a rocky outcrop to the south of Aldburg. After Eowyn passed away at the age of 96 years Elrohir initially tried to live on for his sister's sake. Yet after two years in Minas Tirith he had wasted away to the point that he could no longer ride and the proud warrior was carried to Rohan in a litter. There he died on his wife's barrow – the first of the line of the Princes' of Aldburg – amidst Simbelmyne in bloom. Some two score years later Arwen, following in the wake of her husband, died after a short period of fading in the Golden Wood. By order of her son Eldarion she was buried alongside her brothers on a hill overlooking Aldburg. Their cairn on the Hill of the Three Half-Elves later became a destination of pilgrimages of those hoping to shorten their betrothal.

Just as the line of Arwen and Aragorn lived on through Kings and Queens of the United Kingdoms, so did that of Elrohir and Eowyn. Unique amongst the Great Houses of Middle Earth the line of Princes of Aldburg passed from mother to eldest daughter, as it had from Eowyn to Elfwynn.


	2. What's in a name

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To underscore the revival of the family's fortunes and to distance themselves from their father's nobly intended yet – delicately speaking – controversial and ultimately fatal to him scheme to save the Steward's son from execution Forlan decided upon a new crest. His brothers and sisters agreed and thus the krebain of Dunland – in memory of his nickname when he was a penniless sellsword making a name for himself as a Rider in King Ellessar's service - became the House's new emblem. He forbade it to be quartered with any other device, the lone krebain being the sole image gracing the shields of the family's men, be they from Gondor or the Mark. And forevermore known among irreverent scions of the family as the "ugly black bird".

Besides adoption of the krebain as crest another change brought about by this family council of the three brothers and two sisters was the renaming of their branch of the House of Hurin. They, and their descendants throughout the Fourth Age and past the Remaking of the World, were to be counted as the House of Aredhel, in Memory of Aredhel Nabugan, or The Unyielding in the Common Tongue.

AN:

I know that the singular is _craban_ and plural _crebain_, but I'm afraid nobody would identify craban for what it is.

If _nabugan_ is incorrect, please PM me with the correct form


	3. 16 years later - insider's view

Minas Tirith - 3040 TA

Sixteen years after events in _By Wimple Saved_

Gondor again had a King and its populace rejoiced. The old Steward Denethor son of Ecthelion had died and his son took up the staff which was the symbol of their office. Yet even with the new Steward's backing the Council and the Great Lords were mostly against accepting the King of Arnor as their monarch.

The scales were finally tipped by the King of Rohan voicing his unconditional support for the northerner's candidacy, accompanied by hints of his serious displeasure should his shield brother not occupy the throne in Minas Tirith. And Eomer King's support – although not a lord of the Realm – brought the Prince of Dol Amroth on the side of the Restoration. The marriage contract which had given Rohan its Queen Lothiriel had a clause calling for Prince Imrahil's – or his heir's - backing of Aragorn's claim. The threat of Eomer invoking another clause – of sending Lothiriel – known in Rohan as the Queen She-Moose - back to her father made Dol Amroth clarify its stance immediately.

Aredhel and her family had been personally invited by both Kings to the Coronation. A few days before the event she was examining her brood - fully assembled for the first time in years - with a fulfilled mother's pride.

Agarwen or Aethelfed was happily wed to Wulfstan, with two sons and a daughter to her name. Aredhel had helped them run the war ravaged estate as her knowledge of Gondor and Gondorian practices greatly helped in having high quality products to sell in the south. Wulfstan was slowly rebuilding his family's fortune, with Aethelfeld's good standing at both Aldburg and Edoras being of nothing but help in this regard. Having an exotic and lettered wife did not harm either.

Fenior or Forlan. She gave of a small inward sigh. Forlan was doing well, a well respected Captain leading his own eored for King Elessar. But that wife of his ... had things been different and had he impregnated the like of her in Gondor, she would have given the girl a few coins and a sharp slap across the backside to speed her exit through the backdoor. And Aredhel would have made sure that her husband had forced the boy to live with it. But being an exile in Rohan changed one's perspective. Once her eldest had come from Arnor after ten years of campaigning with a short rotund wife going by the name of Deleira she found it difficult not to accept her. Not only did they evidently love one another but their son Bregol had such sweet dimples ...

Her middle son – she smiled at the powerfully built roundfaced warrior. Bergil son of Beregon had latched himself to her and no wonder – Aredhel and her family were the only Gondorians he had contact with amidst a sea of Rohirrim. As the Eorlings seemed to be incapable of pronouncing "ber" before "gil" and kept on calling him Gerbil they compromised on Gerbilaf. His presence around Aredhel made the Rohirrim assume that he was kin, if not her son. Once Forlan had left for the north and Gerbilaf began to function as the token "Man of the House" she formally adopted the orphaned Gondorian.

Gerbilaf's marriage would have made any – well, almost any - Rohirric mother proud as Getfleda was Eomer's bastard daughter. It had been a smile of fortune that her exotic looking middle son had caught the King's natural daughter's eye. But Aredhel was proud that his post as Captain's second was won fully on his own merit and not through kinship by marriage. This union had made her even more disliked by Queen Lothiriel. But that did not bother Aredhel at all – she was in Eomer King's good graces from her time as chatelaine at Edoras and that was what mattered. Now, if only would they give her a grandchild ...

Her youngest son Fognir was her worrychild, the one she would have to look out for. Barely sixteen years of age, about to become a Rider and guileless. Brought up since birth in Rohan his Westron was heavily accented and his Sindarin close to nonexistent although he understood it quite well. It was her fault, it had been so much easier to speak Rohirric with him then struggle with the Auld Tongue.

What worried her were the Gondorian high born harpies out to ensnare her son with one of their worthless daughters. With his purely Rohirric upbringing Aredhel was sure that Fognir would quickly be trapped in a situation where he would either have to wed some scheming old hag's crafty little bitch or ruin her reputation. Not that she personally would have anything against the vixen having her reputation ruined, but sixteen year old boys were so impressionable and naive about women that Fognir would consider his duty to marry the hussy. Her innocent baby boy was not ready for Gondor. Once the festivities were over she was sending him back to Rohan. Either to his sister and brother in law at Sandespit or his brother and sister-in-law at Aldburg.

Or maybe to the Wold, to ride aside the Steward's brother? That would keep Fognir's Sindarin alive. But would the son of Denethor remain in the Wold or would he return to Minas Tirith? The man himself had been tight lipped and evasive about his future when Aradehel had tried to sound him out.

Her youngest – Findes or Frithwith daughter of Kolbrand was sleeping in the crook of her arm having just finished suckling. Last year the Rohirrim had been more shocked and astonished by her age then scandalised by her pregnancy. For them a fifty five year old expectant mother was too mind boggling to make them wonder why was there no wedding in the offing. Ha! Little did they know that dunadanith often bore children into their sixties. Her great aunt Estendis even had had twins at seventy three!

The ones most vocal about her sunset motherhood in an unmarried state were her own children. Generally supportive yet telling her that she should be ashamed of herself. And at her age too!

She had been ashamed. A little. And only up to the moment she had looked in her second daughter's blue eyes.

Kolbrand was a sweet boy but she had turned down his chivalrous offer of marriage. With a bit of effort she could be his grandmother, that disqualified him as husband material. Aredhel allowed him to acknowledge Frithwith as his own but the child was hers to keep. The King had restored their estates – her husband's to Forlan and her dowry lands to her. This made her a rich woman and ensured her golden haired daughter a place in Gondorian society. Aredhel was too rich, too well connected and too unconcerned about the mores of the Southern Kingdom as to care about reputation.


	4. 16 years later - outsider's view

AN:

The Lady Aredhel – whom Aragorn knew well from his visits to Rohan throughout the Sixteen Years of Waiting (_for Denethor's death_) – was appointed by the King to run the Citadel and serve as buffer between Gondorian society and the Queen. Aragorn knew that Arwen had much to learn about the differences between scruffy Rangers and their earthy wives and the highborn of Gondor.

Aredhel distinguished two special groups inside Gondorian society. After settling at Edoras she began to write to her family, relations and friends in Gondor. Those who wrote back – plus some women whose husband's forbid them to write back – formed one group. These she gave her affection and regard. The other group was composed of those too scared or indifferent to write back. These had her disdain and dislike. Lady Glamel belongs to the latter group and has already felt the effects of Aredhel's disfavour.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

* * *

_Minas Tirith. Ball at which the Lady Dowager Aredhel is presented to the Court as Chatelaine of the Citadel and Queen's Mistress of the Robes. The highest ranked woman after the Queen. Sometime after Aragorn's Gondorian coronation in 3040 TA._

The Lady Glamel looked with a baleful glare at the nobles dancing attendance at Lady Aredhel and her family. She was on that despicable woman's "not in favour" list, something she personally could live with. What she could not live with was that woman's attitude harming her lovely daughters' marriage perspectives.

Her youngest Gwilgwileth asked

"Who are those people? Who is that lady in the centre of attention?"

"That is Hurin the Tall's widow. He died during the war – he plotted against the Old Steward, escaped to Rohan and was killed by the Horse Lords. Aredhel is a shameless trollop – she had slept with King Eomer after the Pellenor Fields' battle and used her husband's disgrace as an opportunity to run away to Rohan and openly became his mistress. To maintain shreds of decency Aredhel ostensibly became the Chatelaine of the Golden Palace. After marrying the King, our Princess Lothiriel would have none of that and threw her out. So Aredhel replaced Eomer with his Marshall Elfhelm in some Rohirric backwater. And today she dares to flaunt one of them's lovechild to the Court! Nevertheless for some unfathomable reason she carries our King Ellessar's favour. And that of King Eomer as well. Elfhelm must have shared her with Eomer, I suppose. Poor Lothi, so much disrespect shoved in her face. Incredibly Aredhel also has the Queen Arwen's ear" – Glamel hissed

The seething lady now turned her attention to the people surrounding the controversial returnee.

"The tall fellow is Hurin's eldest son." - Glamel said out loud.

Silently she felt her heart bleed – "what a match, with his father's entire estate! Why did he have to come from the north with that peasant as wife? With orc blood in her, as how would she be so short otherwise? Or was she of the fey Druadan? If only he'd send that misfit away he'd be such a good candidate for Lavaneth or Eril, as Gwilgwileth was too young for him at this moment ..." - she whispered to herself with motherly concern.

"Takes after his father. Made a name for himself in King Aragorn's service in Arnor. But, without a restraining hand on him, he made an awful mismatch with some wench from a barbaric tribe. Imagine that she had to learn Westron after coming here!

"Yet, with ... Forlan ..." - she managed to recall the Rohirric name he demanded to be called – " ... coming into his father's lands she is to be mistress of one of the largest estates in the Realm. That boy really needs a Gondorian born and trained woman beside him ..."

Daughter Gwilgwileth did not see the mismatch – well, if she was ever to see the "tall man short woman" combination from street plays it was right in front of her – at minimum a foot of difference between the two, the woman reaching just above his elbow. She also was quite stout, female attributes compensating for lack of height. A stark contrast to the lanky warrior with his classical Dunedain looks and height of two full _ranga_. What Gwilgwileth also saw was how the woman held on to her husband's arm for comfort - with Forlan now and then glancing down to see how she was faring. How endearing!

"The second pair is her adopted – or so they say – son." – Her mother continued her vitriol spitting – "His wife, the blond, is King Eomer's illegitimate daughter Getfleda."

GASP! – "Does everybody know?"

"Yes, everybody knows", Glamel confirmed

"But I mean does _everybody know?"_

She looked at her daughter inquisitively – had the nurse dropped Gwilgwileth on her head and never told her about it?

Her flustered offspring stuttered:

"I mean, I know that everybody knows ... but ... can you talk about it?"

Finally understanding the poorly worded question Lady Glamel nodded:

"Yes, everybody knows, the Rohirr are not as circumspect as our menfolk are ..." she groaned inwardly. She didn't want to tell her daughter that YET. The irritation at Aredhel and Aredhel's family made her blurt out too much.

"Our cousin Conel's sister-in-law's Tuivel's niece Lorneth married into Dol Amroth and – as Prince Ibrahim's court is in close contact with Rohan's royal court through Queen Lothiriel - says that King Eomer openly dotes on his bastard daughter, to Queen Lotrhiriel's great ire. But when the poor thing spoke against Getfleda's presence at Edoras poor Lothiriel was sent to some dreary fortress near Orthank. And with Lothiriel away the boor even had his bastard daughter play hostess! Can you IMAGINE such disrespect to a wife?! Outrageous!"

"Look at that supposedly adopted son. You can clearly see Numenorian blood mixed with that of lesser Men. I would put my money on Aredhel having him with one of the Citadel's men-servants or guards and then taking the opportunity of her exile to smuggle him to Rohan and claim the lovechild as her own. And got him eloped with Eomer's – her lover's - by-blow! What an outrageously shameless woman!" - Glamel let her tongue run away again but stopped, seeing the twinkle in her daughter's eye on hearing such filthy details.

Glamel managed to keep silent and did not voice her opinion that Aredhel was incredibly _stupid_ with the tryst producing that – whatshisname – Gerbil. No, here was a bit at the end. Gerbilaugh? With their distinct Numenorian features making all aristocrats look like one big family a smart woman limited her dalliances to men of like, pure breeding – accidents from such liaisons could _always_ be passed off as the husband's with _nobody_ the wiser.

For all her dislike of Aredhel and anything related with her Glamel found it hard to find fault with that woman's legitimate daughter – Affeltaff? Atelfflaf? –couldn't that family use civilised Gondorian names?! And was her husband Wool-staff? That husband of hers - Woof-Woof? – did not look half bad, if pale and blond. Apparently much below her station – had it not been for the exile she doubtlessly would have married better – but that was no fault of hers. The girl was doing well for herself, must be Hurin's blood in her, not Aredhel's.

Glamel now turned her daughter's attention to Fognir. Although in Rider attire – which her husband had explained to her that it meant he was a soldier and thus treated as an adult in Rohan – the boy evidently was not fully grown yet. Ungainly, lanky youngster yet to grow a few inches and fill out – that was his ideal description. Fognir's whole bearing communicated unease at his refined surroundings.

"Country hick if there was one! Hurin's blood so mismanaged ..." – Glamel lamented inwardly.

"He must feel more at home in the steppes of Rohan than in a palace hall", Gwilgwileth thought with sympathy. She covered her mouth as to hide her smile and not to laugh at the boy? young man? - looking ready to bolt. He suddenly had his little fair-haired sister thrust into his arms by the Lady Aredhel. The easy way in which he arranged the fidgeting toddler on his arm spoke lengths of his experience in child care (_didn't he have half a dozen nieces and nephews?_) and gave her motherly flutters. The little girl's comfort with this situation was evidence that being carried around by Fognir was nothing new to her and was wellcome. Suddenly the thought that her brothers had never carried her about flashed though Gwilgwileth's mind. Her heart sank seeing that Fognir had been given the child not as a manner of anchoring him to the festivities – as had been her guess - but as a form of leave giving. Evidently the Lady Aredhel thought it high time to send away her two youngest. She would not get to dance with him ...

* * *

AN:

_Ranga_ – the prescribed height for Numenorian males was two _ranga _of 38 inches each_, _or 6'4" - 193cm. The name "Halfling" came about from Hobbits' height being half of a proper Numenorian.

All misspellings of Rohirric names and e.g. Golden Palace are intentional mistakes.

The idea that all Dunedain look pretty much the same and thus infidelity may easily slip unnoticed was taken from a story by Adaneth at Henneth- Annum.

Getfleda pre-dates Eomer's marriage to the lovely and lovable Swan Princess Lothiriel of Dol Amroth, known in Rohan as the "she moose", so the son of Eomund is not that naughty


	5. Money matters

Money matters.

Forlan took up the lands his father's branch of the House of Hurin had kept for three generations now. The fee tail arrangement meant that he, as eldest son, inherited the estate and was to pass it on undiminished to his heir. He was obliged, however, to provide dowries of appropriate value to his sisters and annuity, also of appropriate height, to his brothers. And to provide for his father's widow should her dower not be adequate.

His Rohirric in-laws were astonished at how much wealth was coming to them through their previously financially unimpressive spouses. After coming to and laughing about gilded chamber pots and bridles both Aethelfed and Wulfstan and Gerbilaf and Getfleda ploughed their windfall into their estates. Both couples quickly joined the ranks of the greatest Houses of Rohan, if not in antiquity or nobility of lineage then by wealth.

Frithwith was to be no concern of his. As in light of Gondorian Law his youngest sister was illegitimate he had no obligation to provide her with _anything ever_. Nor that Mother wanted anything from him for her little girl. To keep things simple Aredhel would provide for her fair haired child from her dower lands. Between the dowry from Aredhel's estate and later being her mother's sole beneficiary at death, Frithwith was looking towards becoming one of the better landed ladies in Gondor.

He withheld most of the annuity due to Forgil. It would not do well if his brother, be it at sixteen or twenty or twenty four, had a monthly allowance higher than the combined wages of the whole eored. Hence Forlan paid out the equivalent of his youngest brother's wage as a Rider, thus doubling Forgil's income. And he threw in extra money for court clothing etc. when the "boy" came south to Gondor.

* * *

Gaping with mouth open at his youngest brother Forlan finally understood – classical Dunedain looks apart there was absolutely _nothing_ Gondorian about Forgil. By twenty six his combined presence in the Southern Kingdom summed up to half a year of so. He was Rohan born and Rohan bred - through and thorough. The customs of Gondor were as alien to him as those of the Mark were to the courtiers of Minas Tirith. Overcoming his astonishment at the request and what it implied he managed to say:

"They don't have brideprice in Gondor. I don't have to negotiate it for you".

"Oh. They don't?" – Forgil was astonished.

"What do they have then? - he inquired quietly.

After being explained Forgil could be overheard muttering;

"They give me money to take her away? These Gondorians are crazy ..."


	6. His mother's last son

In his mother's care.

"No, mother, she did not start kissing me just before somebody walked upon on us. No, she did not claim to have a sprained knee and asked me to check it for swelling and somebody walked on us with my hands up her dress. No, we did not wander away from the others and upon encountering the rest of the party she was not suddenly dishevelled and upon interrogation with feigned bashfulness she pointed at me. No, she did not pretend to faint and swoon into me and then put my hand on her breast to check her pulse and then have her father walk on us. No, she ..." – Forgil was a bit irritated with his mother grilling him about WHY did he want to propose to Gwilgwileth.

His Lady Mother Aradhel had somehow convinced herself that he had been manoeuvred into it against his will. Quite the contrary, it had taken him over a year of pining for her in the Mark to work up his courage to ask her if she fancied his suit. In his relief and joy over her consent Forgil had then slobbered all over her hands while she had pecked him on the cheek.

The way his mother was reacting Gwilgwileth had shoved his hands down her décolletage and screamed "rape!" at the top of her lungs. He stopped listening to his mother's ranting. He knew it by heart. There were hordes of Evil!Women out there, all scheming to trick him into marrying one of their Worthless!Daughters. He knew his mother's lines by heart. The Lady Mother was exaggerating both the incidence of such trickery – not that it did not occasionally happen with youth of either sex being ensnared into a marriage they did not particularly wish – and his own naïveté. He would had fallen to such a trap at sixteen or seventeen, but by twenty he was well aware of courtship games going on at Minas Tirith's court.

Here he was grateful for mother sending back to the Mark for six years after his presentation at Ellessar King's Court, thus giving him time and opportunity to grow into court life. Aldburg was much less sophisticated but it still had a court with some social life, as befitted Eowyn Princess and her husband Elrohir. In the Mark in lieu of his mother he was supervised by his hawk-eyed sister. And if he managed to evade her attentions his sister in law Getfleda always seemed to be there. Even the Princess Eowyn occasionally took interest in him and "protected" him from being "chased by women". He knew very well who had asked the Wraithbane to keep an eye on him. Sometimes he felt kept on a tighter leash than a high born maiden heiress ...

Forgil was well aware that was a quite a good match, both at home and in Gondor, he would have to be stupid not to know it, yet he felt smothered ... And since he had taken to regularly visit Minas Tirith in the winter festive season four years ago he had somehow managed not to get ensnared. He was now twenty six and fully capable of taking care of himself, thank you Mother.


	7. The tale of two daughters in law

Deleira

Aradhel had never believed the story of her eldest son's wife being a daughter of a northern chieftain. Although privately she thought Deleira to had been a camp follower of some sort – of what sort she preferred not to know, as not knowing could save her pain – she just smiled and nodded and pretended to believe whatever Forlan had told her. Even if her father had been chieftain of a hamlet with five hovels, such a man's daughter would be expected to have _some_ household management skills beyond the basics. Being capable of doing the laundry and making salted mushroom preserves or sausages was not exactly useful in her station as wife of one of Gondor's largest landowners. Cooking – Aredhel snorted – being capable of cooking potatoes with pork crackling toping, dill and sour milk - a dish to kill for on a hot day, she had to admit – was not conducive to holding feasts for two hundred guests. She must had been sufficient to take care of her son's tent – after he had raised through the ranks as to have one – but a Lady of Gondor she was not.

Happily her eldest took her advice and did not set up house on his own, but together with Deleira and their children they lived at the Citadel. This allowed Aredhel to slowly teach her the finer points of being a woman of means and high standing.

A certain incident made her look upon her daughter-in-law in new light. The two of them were present when scaffolding for some renovation job or other collapsed. Deleira immediately waded into the debris to haul out the wounded and treat some of their wounds. This drove home the stories her sons had told that camp followers might be the first to loot and kill the wounded, but they also often saved lives by being there, on the battlefield, with a rag for a bandage or tourniquet before a colleague or healer showed up. Aredhel soberly wondered whether she owned her son's life to her daughter in law.

Gwingwileth

Hearing the screams of _that woman_ directed at her new daughter in law Aredhel cringed. The screeches made it clear what was the source of the hag's displeasure - the lovely Rohirric riding dress for riding astride which Getfleda had given Gwingwileth as a wedding gift. She went back and made a last minute change to her attire for the outing.

Her entry to room where Galen was deriding her daughter - by now at the verge of tears – left the other Gondorian aristocrat speechless. Watching the despicable woman with bulging eyes and mouth open at the sight of her breeches-clad legs was a pleasure in itself and warmed Aredhel's heart.

At Aredhel's age and after four children it would be silly for anybody to expect her to have the lines of an unbred filly. Yet for her family's sake she'd ride in a too short coat which made her rear look fat. Gwingwileth was now part of the family and keeping her happy for Forgil's sake was Aredhel's duty.


	8. One son of Denethor

Summer of 3019, Umbar

The son of Denethor steeled his stomach to continue observing the bloody spectacle. He accepted bloodshed in battle, but this? Yet if he wished to live himself he had to carry out his father's orders.

The cordon of Gondorian troops kept out the spectators, mostly freed slaves. Batches of bound men were led out of the improvised prison and led to the dozen execution blocks where volunteers drawn from Gondorian ranks were doing their fell errand. Their arms were numb with the effort, the slaughter having begun hours before. This had been anticipated, with three men being assigned to each station. The heads were counted and stacked while the bodies were immediately carted away to be fed to sharks in the bay. The blood flowed down a specially dug ditch into the bay as well - no need to foul the city's sewers. It was watching the boys which turned his stomach the most. Reminding himself of what their fathers must have done do other boys like them did not help much.

"Remember, Captain of Gondor, that Umbar is never to arise as a threat again. The corsairs are to be left headless and the slavers punished. All nobles and those trading in slaves are to be put to the sword. Spare only boys from such families shorter than four feet. Distribute their wives and nubile daughters among the soldiery. See to that in person."

Those had been his father's words in Harlond at his departure for the fleet. Together with information that his brother – having escaped the executioner's sword in Minas Tirith – was now awaiting trial in Rohan. With a death sentence not improbable.

He sighed.

At least the Wraithsbane had – according to the intercepted messages – survived the Nazgul's brew of herbs acting on her body and mind. He had not killed her by involving her in the plot.

The swords rose and fell, the heads rolled. The carts with the bodies creaked while hauling away their cargo. The son of Denethor looked over the abattoir towards the port where freed slaves and deported Umbarian commoners were boarding the ships with whatever belongings they had and with tools of their trade whenever possible. He was to empty the city and environs and bring all the people he could catch to Gondor, to repopulate lands laid waste by centuries of war. And then to raze the city walls and all ship building facilities and put the city to torch. With its nobility, sea captains, navigators, merchants, shipwrights, skilled tradesmen and wealth gone, whatever remained of Umbar would not be able to raise its head for decades to come.

* * *

He served his father and then King Elessar until his death. He never married, for once flatly refusing to do his sire's bidding when ordered to wed. He challenged the Steward to kill him.

His heart forever lay with the White Maiden of Rohan. A woman who first he betrayed by drugging and using as puppet to save his brother from death, and then he became unworthy off by the innocent blood he had spilt.


	9. The other son of Denethor

The other son of Denethor

The former Steward-Prince of Gondor indeed made Maredenn his seat. He showed great diligence in riding down all foes of the people dwelling in the Downs and in the Steppes of the Wold. As regular as the seasons, year after year for seven years with each spring he rode to Aldburg to present his suit to the Wraithsbane. The eight year he did not come at all, limiting himself to a written report for the Marshal of the Eastmark. Rumours whispered in the hall of Aldburg spoke of the Denethorsson not leaving his room for a sennight upon hearing of the betrothal of the White Lady to the Orc Hewer, calling for mead and ale only, and to emerge foul of bearing like a beast afterwards.

Only twice did the former Captain of Gondor leave the Wold. Once after the Steward's death when he rode to Anorien to speak with his brother. Nobody knew what passed between them as they spoke alone in a meadow by the Great River amidst the spring grasses in full bloom. The unofficial Lord of the Wold refused any honours, titles or positions in Gondor which his birth entitled him to and which the Good King Elessar wished to bestow upon him

He lived out his years in the Wold, with his fame as the protector of the land giving rise to his being named the Two Tailed Death among orcs and Easterling raiders. To them he was both the silent death creeping up silently in the stillness before the dawn and the thundering charge which pounded their bodies into bloody mulch under the Sun high in the sky.

Upon his death, a dozen years or so after the passing of Eomer King and Eowyn Princess, he left behind the second most appointed library in the Mark, surpassed only by the Royal Library at Edoras. He never married, living for Battle and Lore alone, like some of the heroic Elven Princes of the First Age.

With his passage and almost simultaneous death of his brother-Steward, the Rod passed to Aradhelon the son of Forlan the son of Aredhel, their nearest kin.

The other time he had left the Wold was to visit the grave of the White Lady. He did not tarry but left quickly, leaving behind a honey glazed sweet roll among the _simbelmynë _on her barrow.


End file.
